Malignant 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.5

Malignant 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

James Wan returns to his horror roots.

Malignant is a horror-thriller that brings filmmaker James Wan (The Conjuring, Saw) back to his genre roots. Featuring an original story by James Wan, Ingrid Bisu, and Akela Cooper, Malignant is a twisty and fun genre gem that stands out as one of the best horror films in years. Produced by James Wan, Michael Clear, Peter Wong, Nancy Xu, Gary Tsui, Yedong Mu, Qing Li, Jennifer Conroy, and Chit Chau, Malignant is a must-see horror film destined to have a cult following.

Madison Mitchell (Annabelle Wallis) finds terror in her own home when she becomes paralyzed by nightmarish visions. As Madison begins having visions of murders, she comes to realize that the murders are happening in real-life. A shadowy figure stalks the night and haunts Madison's every move.

The story unfolds from the past: a psychiatric patient named Gabriel escapes a research hospital and goes on a rampaging killing spree (taking one victim after another). Gabriel becomes a teratoma – a tumor that connects the serial killer to an impressionable young girl. Gabriel became maligant – a dormant evil (before surfacing to kill once more). Despite psychiatric investigations, the evil nonetheless awakens. Can Gabriel be stopped before more blood is spilt?

The performances are strong for a horror film. Annabelle Wallis is pitch-perfect in the leading role. Wallis provides Malignant with a sense of emotional gravitas many actresses wouldn't be able to provide in a genre film. The performance showcases her acting range: exploring both personal struggles (as Madison deals with an abusive husband) to her inner torment since childhood. A remarkable effort by Wallis.

The production design is outstanding: providing Malignant with a sense of terror on every level. Production designer Desma Murphy (Independent Lens, True Men) imbues the house with the nighmarish qualities of amityville while providing a distinctive style at the same time. Every production detail in Malignant seems well considered and laid out. The art direction by David Scott (Ad Astra, Jurassic World) enhances the Gothic sensibilities of the filmmaking.

A stunning 4K HDR presentation.

The cinematography by Michael Burgess (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, Annabelle Comes Home) is remarkable and absorbing. Burgess is one of the most gifted cinematographers working in the horror stratosphere and Malignant is one of the cinematographers best efforts to date. The visual element of the film is hynotic and hard to look away from. The shadowy horrors of Gabriel become unmissable.

The costumes by Lisa Norcia (Fantasy Island, The Purge) add to the production and its sense of authenticity. Norcia provides costumes that fit the time-period and setting of the story. A fantastic costume design effort that manages to convey both the past and present with a equal degree of clear admiration.

The score by Joseph Bishara (The Conjuring, Insidious) is an outstanding effort for a modern horror film. The score represents Bishara at his absolute best: the music of Malignant lingers on the mind long after the credits are finished rolling. The haunting electronic landscape of the music is a testament to the originality of the film. The music is fierce and exciting.

The screenplay by Akela Cooper (Hell Fest, Luke Cage) makes Malignant a special horror film that surpasses its genre roots to become something quite relevant. The obvious metaphors of Malignant (exploring important women's rights issues), makes the film all the better and more compelling. A intelligent screenplay with great characters, storytelling, and thematic gravitas. Cooper helped the filmmaking rise about traditional genre fare.

James Wan is one of the greatest modern horror filmmakers. Wan arguably made the best modern horror classic with The Conjuring and with Malignant he returns to his roots as a horror master. Everything about the vision of Wan is apparent: the atmosphere, the dread, and terror. This is an outstanding horror film and Wan makes every sequence essential. Malignant begins as a perfect slow-burn before descending into madness in the second half of the film. The chaos of the filmmaking is all too beautiful. One can't resist the insanity of it all.

Malignant 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on 4K UHD from Warner Bros., Malignant is presented in 2160p HEVC / H.265 in the original theatrical aspect ratio of 2.39:1 widescreen. The presentation is in native 4K resolution with HDR10. Featuring an impressive increase in resolution and detail, Malignant has never looked better: this presentation is stunning and has an outstanding use of high-dynamic-range encoding. Colors are significantly deeper and more rewarding (especially with regards to the color red) and the added depth gives the presentation more of an edge.

There are some sequences which benefit enormously from the 2160p resolution boost (especially exterior shots which showcase the large buildings and city landscapes – all of these little details). The image is razor sharp for most of the presentation and the encoding capably handles the visuals. If there is one significant difference to the standard Blu-ray release, the HDR gives the cinematography a somewhat different aesthetic, which is interesting to compare and contrast. A big upgrade.

Malignant 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The audio presentation remains the same as the previous Blu-ray edition (and no Atmos sound mix has been added to the release). The release is presented in English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound. The lossless surround sound presentation is top-notch and is worth the price of admission. The sound design is creative and energetic: providing another layer of terror to the filmmaking. The music score by Joseph Bishara is well implemented in to the sound design and makes the filmmaking more immersive. Dialogue is crisp and clear throughout.

Malignant 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The 4K UHD release retains the same bonus feature (provided on the standard Blu-ray discs). There are no new supplements on the included 4K UHD disc. 

Malignant: James Wan's Visions (HD, 14:11) is an entertaining behind-the-scenes featurette with James Wan (exploring the production of the feature-film). Fans of James Wan won't want to miss this engaging (if somewhat brief) featurette. The piece is entertaining but not as substantial as some might have been hoping to find.

Malignant 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Malignant is an instant horror classic. A deranged horror-thriller from James Wan (The Conjuring,  Aquaman), Malignant is insane in the best way possible (providing audiences with an original horror gem). The storytelling is intelligent and socially relevant (with outstanding metaphors – a true sign of a horror masterpiece). The 4K UHD presentation offers a significantly more detailed presentation in 2160p with even more crisp resolution and vibrant high-dynamic-range (HDR)visuals. The color red "pops" especially and several sequences are more visually engaging in 4K. Highly recommended.